Sunday's Soup/Greens at Their Best!

My first experience with a radish was when I was about 3 years old. I was hungry, and had been told that I had to wait until lunch for something to eat. Well, being the industrious child that I was, I thought that I would just go out to the garden and pick a carrot. Now, I have always loved carrots, at least raw carrots. Although, it wasn't until I was in my early twenties that I really began to love cooked carrots. So, I went bouncing out to the garden and made my way to a row of what I thought were carrots. I remembered that the seed packet had a picture of "white carrots," maybe just a different variety??? Well, how surprised was I when I bit into that so called white carrot and got the shock of my short life when it burned my mouth! I threw that awful "carrot" on the ground and went running into the house in search of a drink of water. My father found the "carrot" with one bite taken out of it laying on the ground. He came in holding it in his had and asked if I had pulled it up and taken just one bite. I admitted that I had, but that it was sooo hot. I found out that it wasn't a carrot, but a white radish. Well yuk!, and thought, "I will never eat another radish as long as I live." Amazingly, I now love radishes, even the white ones ;)  

I especially love getting the huge winter radishes.

My favorite breakfast is a piece of great seeded bread, a slice of good cheese, sliced radishes, topped with sliced avocado with a sprinkle of herbs, salt, pepper, and finally a sprinkle of olive oil. YUM!!! I eat this for lunch, too! 

A while back, I shared a recipe for a Rustic Radish Soup. I had purchased a bunch of radishes from the farmer's market and I just couldn't bear the thought of throwing out the greens. What a lovely soup. Over the winter, with all the radishes I purchased, I decided to look around for another recipe and I discovered a delightful food blog, Taste of Beirut. I love Middle Eastern food, so when I saw her recipe for Peas and Radish Greens Soup, I thought it would be worth a try, and I am so very happy that I did.

What makes the soup special are the spices, cumin and turmeric. Along with the radish greens, and peas, there are 2 potatoes along with onions and garlic. So it's a very simple recipe. The author included 2 cups of yogurt. I did not add the yogurt. So it adapts well to a vegan version of the soup. A beautiful, green, satisfying, aromatic soup.

Just a quick note about my bowl. I loved hammered aluminum serving pieces. I found this piece some time ago. It has a glass insert, and the lid is so special. Take note of the pea pod handle. Sadly, I only have one :( 

In the end, I am happy that no one holds me to the declarations I made as a child. Little did I know when I was 3 that I would one day grow to love a radish!

Enjoy :)

Rhonda

Sunday's Soup/Rustic Potato with Radish Greens

Don't worry, this isn't turning into a food or cooking blog.

This last week I was asked to put a couple of my art pieces in an exhibit. As much as I would like to participate, my answer was, "I'm sorry, but if I add one more thing to my plate, I think I will lose my mind." It has been a difficult summer, with one thing after another going wrong. And on top of it all, we have had house guests, which I truly enjoy, but, I'm tired. With two guests in the house this past week, I decided to just take a break and not visit the blog. 

Although I may take a break, I still eat, and I still cook, and I still enjoy sharing some of my wonderful finds with you!

Last week I told you how I just couldn't throw away the lovely greens from the carrots that I purchased at the farmer's market. Well, this week it was the greens from the radishes that I purchased. I thought that if the greens from the carrots could make such a lovely pesto, what could I do with the radish greens?

Well, they are wonderful in soup! The original recipe is called Rustic Radish Soup. It's actually a potato soup with radish greens, so I took the liberty of changing the name :) 

To make the soup, you begin with leeks and a purple onion that you chop and then saute in butter. For a vegan version, just use olive oil.

The recipe says that you may either skin the potatoes, or leave the skin on. I left the skin on the potatoes just to add to the nutrients in the soup. 

Once the leeks and onions have softened, the potatoes are added along with water. The recipe also calls for the addition of an anchovy. Again, for a vegan version, just leave it out. I love anchovies, so I added it and all it does is enhance the soup. 

The mixture is then boiled until the potatoes are tender. At that point, add the radish greens along with some chopped parsley and allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Puree the mixture and then add 3/4 cup of chopped radishes.  

Allow the radishes to sit in the hot soup for a few minutes before serving. They will become tender and will also mellow a bit. 

The final addition to the soup is cream. I saw no need for the cream and deleted it from my soup. So as you can see, the soup is very adaptable to a vegan version.

In case you missed it, you can find the original recipe HERE. I think that if you decide to give the recipe a try, you'll truly enjoy the mellow, yet robust taste of the soup. This soup is perfect for a cold winter evening, but I'm one of those crazy people who eats soup all year long, even on the hottest days! 

Enjoy!
Rhonda